Pilatus PC-12/45 accident near Westphalia, MO
On September 14, 2002, a Pilatus PC-12/45 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Westphalia, MO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 14, 2002
- Place
- Westphalia, MO
- Aircraft
- Pilatus PC-12/45 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.372°N, 92.030°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020927X05238
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 14, 2002, at 1555 central daylight time (cdt), a Pilatus PC-12/45, N451ES, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed after colliding with terrain near Westphalia, Missouri. The airplane departed controlled flight during a climbing turn while enroute to cruise altitude. Instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions prevailed at altitude and marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) conditions prevailed at the accident site. The business flight was operating under provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 while on an IFR flight plan. The pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The flight departed Lee C. Fine Memorial Airport (AIZ), Lake Ozark, Missouri, at 1540 and was en route to South Bend Regional Airport (SBN), South Bend, Indiana. An employee of a fixed base operator (FBO) at AIZ overheard a conversation between the pilot of N451ES and his passenger prior to their departure. The FBO employee reported that the passenger was concerned about flying in "bad weather" and the pilot replied that the weather was only going to get worse and that they "needed to go to get ahead of it." The FBO employee stated that the pilot did not purchase any fuel prior to departing. The FBO employee reported that she made a written notation that N451ES departed at 1540. According to information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), the pilot of N451ES established radio contact at 1545:20 (hhmm:ss) and reported climbing to 7,000 feet above mean sea level (msl). ARTCC instructed N451ES to continue the climb to f
Probable cause
The pilot's spatial disorientation while turning in a cruise climb in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot's loss of aircraft control, and his failure to recover from a resultant tight descending spiral.
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Browse: Missouri · Pilatus aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
